Benzene Information

Contact with low to moderate levels of benzene for a short time can cause headaches, vomiting, disorientation, shakiness, elevated heart rate, and loss of consciousness. Very high levels of exposure can be fatal. People who work with high levels of benzene or who are exposed to it over a long period of time are at the highest risk for developing benzene-related illnesses, such as acute myelogenous leukemia, acute lyphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, hairy cell leukemia, aplastic anemia, and myelodysplastic syndrome.
Under the law, victims of benzene-related health effects may be eligible for compensation. If you have been harmed by benzene exposure, you may want to consider seeking consultation to learn more about your options.

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Benzene is an organic compound frequently used in the manufacturing of rubber, paint, plastics, resins, drugs, pesticides, synthetics, and other products. Benzene is a colorless and highly flammable liquid with a sweet odor. Benzene can also be present in organic solvents, gasoline, and tobacco smoke.

Exposure to benzene is most likely to occur among workers in facilities that use the chemical in their products. Benzene exposure can cause acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), as well as other forms of leukemia and cancer. In addition, benzene can enter the environment through spills, accidental releases, volcanic eruptions, and forest fires.

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A new study has found that survival rates among elderly patients
affected by non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has increased by using a different
treatment method.

The treatment involves cutting the standard chemotherapy time in half,
but still using the same combination and doses of drugs and antibodies.

Dr Luke Coyle from Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital says the new, shorter burst of treatment has effective results.

"It’s very exciting to have the scientific proof that you can do it
better and you can treat patients in a shorter period of time, which
will hopefully allow them to tolerate the procedure much better as
well," he said.

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I found this on the Mayo Clinic website.  Great stuff explaining the difference between the two diseases.

Follow this link:  Hodgkin’s v. non-Hodgkin’s  What’s the difference?

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I found this article about a method for inhibiting leukemia cells. 

A team of researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center has discovered an entirely new mechanism of action for a novel pharmacological agent currently in clinical trials in patients - the kinase inhibitor BAY 43-9006 - which was designed to disrupt the survival pathways of tumor cells….

"We were surprised to find that the killing effects of Bay 43-9006 in human leukemia cells had very little to do with inhibition of the Raf-1 pathway," Grant said. "Instead, the major mechanism of lethality of this compound involved down-regulation of a protein known as Mcl-1, which plays a critical role in protecting leukemic cells from apoptosis.

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A little of topic here.  I’m not going to opine about anything legal…

Team in Training supports people who raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I had a friend who did this and ran an Olympic distance triathlon in Florida last year (approx. 3/4 mile swim, 26 mile bike, 10K run). The Palm Beach group raised $300,000 last year for Leukemia research.

Palm Beach Article

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The many thousands of cancer patients in the Gulf Coast region who have
been displaced by Hurricane Katrina may have trouble over the coming
weeks getting access to the cancer treatment they need. To ensure that
these patients, many of whom are in need of acute care, do not have
their treatments interrupted, the Society is reaching out to treatment
facilities in the surrounding region to find out which ones are able to
help displaced patients from the evacuated areas. Patients are urged to
contact the Society’s Information Resource Center (IRC) at 1(800)
955-4572 to receive referrals to treatment facilities in the areas to
which they have relocated. Specialists in the IRC can also answer
questions about patients’ eligibility for financial aid offered by the
Society.

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